Surface condenser



April 30, 1929. P. sPnzss SURFACE CONDENSER Filed June 18, 1927 Patented Apr. 30, 1929.

UNITEDSTATES PATENT- OFFICE.

PAUL SPIESS, OF ZURICH, SWITZERLAND, ASSIGNOR TO THE FIRM: .AKTIENGESELL- SGI-IAFT DER MASCI-IINENFABRIKEN ESCHEB WYSS & CIE, 0F ZURICH, SWITZER- LAND.

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Application filed June 18, 1927, Serial No. 199,739, and in Switzerland June 23, 1926.

The present invention relates to a surface condenser having nests of cooling tubes be tween which, spaces that are free of tubes and slanting drip plates for the condensate are provided. These plates are intended to prevent the condensate formed on the upper tubes dripping on to the tubes of the next lower nest, whereby the condensingcapacity of the latter is considerably increased. However, the condensers of this type constructed heretofore present the drawback, which is common to allthe surface condensers, that the resistance opposed by the cooling tubes is not uniform so that the medium to be condensed passes where the smallest resistance is to be met, whereby the tubes which are not situated in the path of this main stream do not take such an effective part in the condensationas they ought to.

in order to overcome this drawback according to the present invention each of the slanting drip plates is so arranged between two nests of tubes that between the upper-tubes of a nest and. the drip plate a path thatis free of tubes is provided which tapers towards the adjacent'part of the wall of the con denser, whilst between the lower tubes of the adjacent upper nest and the drip plate a path that is free of tube is formed which en- .iarges towards the adjacent part of the wall of the condenser.

With a condenser according to the present inventionthe incoming steam may flow at. a uniform speed to all the upper tubes of. a nest, i. e. to'the so-called first tubes,iwhilst in the next higher nest of tubes the enlarg ing path that is free of tubes admits a ready drawing off of the air or ofthe gases. lily the,v

arrangement referred to the further advantage is obtained that every tube, independent of its position will perform its fair proportion of the work at all loads (in consequence of the known drawing off of the condensate by the slanting drip plates) and that the drop of pressure in every nest of cooling tubes is a small and uniform one (on account of the provision of spaces which are free of tubes on both sides of every drip plate). Thereby a very effective condensing action is obtained, as it is possible to provide a large number of first tubes which are the mosteffective, as.

well as to draw off the air in an eflicient manner (both features n consequence of the provision of spaceswhich are'freeof tubes). I

A constructional example of the subject matter of the present invention is illustrated on the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. lshows a condenser, partly in elevation and partly in a longitudinal section along line I-I in F ig. 2, in which the cooling water enters at the bottom and leaves at the top,

Fig. 2 shows the condenser on a larger scale and in a cross-section along line IIII of Fig. 1, in which for clearness sake only some of the cooling tubes are illustrated,

, Fig. 3 shows partly in elevation. and partly inlongitudinal section a condenser in which the cooling water enters at the top and leaves at the bottom. a

In the various figures 1 denotes the condenser casing into which the steam to be condensed enters at 2. The drawing off of the non-condensed gases, mainly ai'r',-, occurs through the branch 3 (Fig. 2), whilst the pipe 4& serves as discharge for the condensate formedin the condenser. In. order .to simplify the drawings the pipe s only illustrated in Fig. 2. In the interiorofthe case ing 1 a number of nests Kiof cooling. tubes are provided between which slanting drip plates 5 are arranged. These plat-es 5draw off the water to the sides of the condenser as soon as condensation takes place in the nests K of tubes, said water passing through spaces 6 which are bounded at their sides adjacent to the casing 1, by baflle plates 7. 8 denotes openin condensed gases may be drawn from the spaces 6. 12desigi'iates cooling tubesfor the gases and a' to be drawn ofl'. Every drip plate 5 is so arranged between two nests K that between the upper tubes 11 of a nest K and the dripfplatc 5 a splice 9 is formed which tapers towards the ad acent part of the wall of the condenser, whilst between the lower tubes of the'next higher nest K and the drip s through which air and other nonplate a space 10 is formed which enlarges towards the adjacent partof the wall of the condenser 1.'- The spaces 9 are so shaped that at the inlet side of every nest K many first tubes 11 maybe provided in proportion to the total number, of tubes of the nest. Such tubes with which the introduced steam comes first intocontact and on which no condensate drips are, as is known, very efficient. On the other hand the spaces 10 which are free of tubes admit an effective drawing off of the air. Further, the spaces and 10 which are e free of tubes prevent banking effects at the spots where the steam enters the nests or leaves the latter, and they make it possible to obtain a practically uniform drop of pressure in all parts of a nest. Finally on account of the provision of the spaces 9 and 10 such a passage of the steam through the various nests is attained that all the tubes perform their fair proportion of the condensation. These combined advantages result in a much higher condensing action than is normally obtained, and consequently a much smaller number of tubes are required and only a small air pump need be employed.

The coldest cooling water may be supplied first to lowermost nests of tubes (Fig. l) or to the uppermost nests of tubes 3) and the air to be withdrawn may be cooled be fore it leaves the condenser as is shown in Fig. 2, or it may be drawn oil in an uncooled state.

I claim 1. A surface condenser comprising in combination, a casing, a plurality of nests of cooling tubes, said nests being distanced from each other to provide spaces that are tree oi tubes, and drip plates each of which is so arranged between two nests of tubes that between the upper tubes of a nest and the drip plate thereabove a tapering space that is free of tubes is provided for the entrance of steam, while between the lower tubes of the next higher nest and said drip plate a space that is free of tubes is formed whichtapers in the opposite direction to that oi? the first mentioned taperingspace for the discharge of air.

2. A surface condenser comprising in combination, a casing, a plurality of nests of cooling tubes, said nests being distanced from each other to provide spaces that are free of tubes, and drip plates each of which is so arranged between two nests of tubes that between the upper tubes of a nest and the drip plate thereabove a space that is free of tubes is provided for the entrance of steam and which tapers towards the adjacent part of the wall of the casing, while between the lower tubes of the next higher nest and said drip plate an air discharge space that'is free of tubes is formed which enlarges towards the adjacent part of the wall oi the condenser.

3. A surface condenser comprising in combination, a casing, a plurality of nests of cooling tubes, said nests being distanced from each other to provide spaces between them that are free of tubes, and obliquely ar *anged drip plates each of which is so disposed between two nests of tubes that between the upper tubes of a nest and the drip plate thereabove a space that is free of tubes is provided for the entrance of steam and which tapers towards the adjacent part of the wall oi the casing, while between the lower tubes of the next higher nest and the drip plate a space that is free of tubes is formed which enlarges towards the adjacent part of the wall of the condenser for the discharge of air.

4. A surface condensercomprising a casing, two series 01" nests of tubes, the two series spaced apart to form a steam passage to both series, and the nests of each series spaced apart, inclined drip plates diagonally divid ing the spaces between the nests of series into substantially equal oppositely tapered spaces, the space above a nest open at its larger end to the steam passage and the space below a nest open to discharge air.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

PAUL SPIESS. 

